Woodpecker Rally confirms Newtown as 2025 base once again
The Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally is set to return in 2025, with Newtown remaining its base.
Following the successful transition from Ludlow in 2024, the rally will again take place in the Welsh town on August 30.
The event will incorporate stages renowned worldwide, Myherin and Hafren, both made famous by the Wales Rally GB.
The rally, which was first run in 1983, is sponsored by the Phil Price Rally School.
The shift to Newtown in 2024 was necessitated by the unavailability of the traditional English Marches stages, such as Haye Park and Hopton.
The move, however, proved fruitful, and the rally is now capitalising on this momentum.
The 2025 edition will introduce a new format, with crews contesting approximately 45 competitive miles through gravel stages.
The fast, flowing roads of Myherin, which are seldom used, will be included.
The technical challenges presented by Hafren will form the core of the event, with three of the four morning tests taking place in this popular forest complex.
To minimise road miles and enhance the rally experience, servicing will be located at Llanidloes Rugby Club, providing easy access back into the forests for the afternoon run.
The Britpart facility in Newtown, which served as the rally headquarters in 2024, will continue to host pre-event documentation, start, and finish celebrations.
Chairman of the organising committee, Alan Corns, said: "After a great response to the 2024 edition, we've taken another step forward for this year.
"Myherin and Hafren are some of the most respected gravel stages in the world, and we're thrilled to be bringing them into the heart of the Woodpecker Rally.
"Britpart coming on board last year to host the rally base has really elevated what we can offer this year, and with Llanidloes Rugby Club supporting service, we've been able to streamline logistics for crews and make it a better experience all round.
"While we still hope to return to Ludlow and the English stages one day, Newtown has welcomed us with open arms, and we're proud to call it home again for 2025."
Additional event information, including entry and spectator details, will be announced in the coming months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
It feels like we're a group of mates – Skipper Harry Brook hails England unity
Brook has won five on the bounce against the West Indies since taking over from Jos Buttler, sweeping the tourists 3-0 in the ODI leg and going 2-0 up with one to play in the T20s. England did not have it easy in Sunday's four-wicket win at Bristol, with the asking rate climbing past 11 an over at one stage as they chased down a stiff target of 197. IT20 series win secured! 🔒 Victory in Bristol 🙌 Banton and Carse see us home 👏 Match Centre: — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 8, 2025 But they stuck together to get over the line, with five of their top six making handy contributions before Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton took the bull by the horns. The middle-order duo hammered 56 off just 21 deliveries between them to puncture the West Indian resistance and keep the good times rolling for Brook. It was the kind of game England were losing in the difficult final days under Buttler, whose reign ended with eight straight defeats across both formats. But there is a new lighter feeling around the group – including the newly liberated former skipper, who has top-scored with 96 and 47 in the last two games. 'It feels like we're a group of mates. We're just going out and having fun,' said Brook. 'It's been nice for me. The results are awesome and we're really enjoying it. We're having a good time out there. 'At the end of games we go around the circle and Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum) asks if anybody has anything to say. In every game so far someone has stood up and said something. I think that's a great way of showing how the team is at the minute and we feel a proper togetherness.' The West Indies made England sweat at times, taking 82 off their last five overs including an unexpected tirade against Adil Rashid in the 19th. For so long the team's most bankable bowler, the leg-spinner shipped five sixes and 31 runs in what goes down as the second most expensive over by an English bowler in T20s. Stuart Broad holds the unwanted record of 36, taken for six off every ball by Yuvraj Singh at the 2007 World Cup. Brook, though, insists he and his team were never rattled. 'I'm always very chilled. We knew that there was going to be one, two, maybe three big overs,' he said. From a different angle 📐 All 25 of our boundaries! 💥#ENGvWI | #EnglandCricket — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 8, 2025 'On a pitch that size, with 60-metre boundaries nearly all the way around, we accepted that before the game and we knew we could get big overs as well. 'The way Bants went about his business, getting 30 off 11 balls having never really batted in the middle order before was just awesome.' The West Indies have one more chance to avoid a winless tour in Southampton on Tuesday but head coach Daren Sammy paid tribute to Akeal Hosein, who took the field just six hours after arriving from the Caribbean following visa delays. 'He said to me, 'there's no way I'm not playing',' Sammy explained. 'Kudos to him, he turned up for us. An eight-hour flight straight into a game is not ideal but it shows his commitment.'
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Portugal 2 Spain 2 (5-3 pens): Tearful Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, wins third international trophy as Morata misses penalty
Ronaldo limped off injured so missed the shootout PORT OF CALL Portugal 2 Spain 2 (5-3 pens): Tearful Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, wins third international trophy as Morata misses penalty Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PORTUGAL tasted Nations League glory for a second time with Cristiano Ronaldo playing a starring role – and Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata the villain. After winning the inaugural 2019 edition, Roberto Martinez's men are champions once more in a thrilling finale in Munich, fighting back twice to draw level against reigning European champions Spain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties in the Nations League final 9 Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears after Ruben Neves scored the last spot-kick 9 Diogo Costa saved Alvaro Morata's penalty Ronaldo netted an ingenious equalising 61st minute volley to make it 2-2 for his 938th career goal and 138th for his country – but the 40-year-old watched the penalties from the bench, along with 17-year-old teenage superstar Lamine Yamal. And Spain's Morata missed his spot-kick for Ruben Neves to slot home the winner. Both nations were vying to become the first to lift the Nations League twice. A slow start was thrust into life by a Nico Williams whipped curler that just cleared the bar after 17 minutes – and four minutes later the Spaniards were ahead. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS LIONESS LOVE SPLIT England's Millie Bright leaves fiancé & falls for married gym trainer Yamal at the heart of it, his delicious cross was made a mess of by a scrambling Portugal defence, allowing soon-to-be Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi to score just his second international goal. Spain were 4-0 up after 55 minutes in their 5-4 semi thriller against France last week, but Ronaldo was not about to let that happen again as he burst in behind to spark an attack. It ended with Mendes firing low into the bottom corner in the 26th minute, but not before a VAR check that judged Ronaldo to have timed his run to perfection. The final say of the first half was Spain's. 9 Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring in the 21st minute 9 Nuno Mendes levelled the scores within five minutes 9 Mikel Oyarzabal made it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time 9 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Pedri with a superb reverse pass to tee up Mikel Oyarzabal in injury time – the man who broke English hearts in the Euros final in Berlin last summer producing another big goal in Munich. Martinez responded by bringing on Neves and Nelson Semedo at the break, and it almost had an instant impact as Bruno Fernandes had a 49th minute strike ruled out for offside. Cristiano Ronaldo's bodyguard Hichman Bukhari talks about the risks of protecting the football superstar An equaliser was coming and Ronaldo reacted first to a deflected looped cross that bamboozled Marc Cucurella for his eighth Nations League of the campaign. He hobbled off with a muscular injury in the 88th minute, while Yamal was subbed in the 106th minute, as the game became niggly with a VAR red-check following a mass melee. Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes all slotted home their penalties before Neves became the hero. 9 Ronaldo equalised in the 61st minute - his 138rd international goal
Leader Live
7 hours ago
- Leader Live
Hasan Ali takes hat-trick and James Anderson also among Vitality Blast wickets
Bears openers Tom Latham and Alex Davies posted 58 and 49 respectively in a total of 199 for six at Edgbaston. Pakistan bowler Ali then played a starring role in limiting the winless away side to 141 all out, including removing Ross Whiteley for 50 and Alex Thomson and Ben Aitchison for golden ducks on successive deliveries in the 16th over. Hassan Ali takes a hat-trick for the Bears! 😱 — Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 8, 2025 James Anderson took three wickets but could not prevent Lancashire slipping to a 24-run defeat to table-topping Northamptonshire. The 42-year-old former England seamer dismissed openers Ricardo Vasconcelos and Matthew Breetzke, plus Ravi Bopara, as the visitors made 180 for six at Old Trafford en route to maintaining their 100 per cent record with a fifth consecutive victory. Lancashire, who remain second, were restricted to 156 for nine in response, with George Scrimshaw taking four for 19 for the Steelbacks. Yorkshire captain Dawid Malan became the fifth English batter to reach 10,000 career T20 runs during a superb 88 which helped his side achieve a first win of the campaign at the expense of Leicestershire. Dawid Malan surpasses 10,000 domestic T20 runs 👏 — Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) June 8, 2025 Aided by 62 from second-wicket partner Will Luxton, former England left-hander Malan contributed significantly to an imposing target of 214, which was never threatened by the third-placed Foxes, who were bowled out for 107 inside 17 overs, with leg-spinner Jafer Chohan claiming four for 27. In the South Group, England batter Zak Crawley hit an unbeaten 75 off 43 balls as Kent inflicted a first defeat of the season on leaders Hampshire. Crawley, who shared a stand of 110 with Daniel Bell-Drummond (61) in Canterbury, helped the Spitfires to an eight-wicket win with six balls remaining after Joe Weatherley registered 63 not out in the Hawks' total of 177 for seven. Sussex eased to a 78-run triumph over Glamorgan thanks to Nathan McAndrew's five-for after James Coles made an unbeaten 78 and fellow batter Tom Alsop hit 50. We were lucky to witness that. An incredible spell of bowling from Nathan McAndrew! 👏 — Sussex Sharks 🦈 (@SussexCCC) June 8, 2025 The visitors were set a target of 196 at Hove but were dismissed for 117 in the 16th over following McAndrew's heroics with the ball. Pointless Essex remain rooted to the bottom after 72 from Stephen Eskinazi helped Middlesex to a six-wicket win and first success of the campaign. The hosts lost six wickets in 29 balls at Chelmsford before Middlesex chased down a total of 156 for nine with 15 balls to spare. Surrey continue to set the pace in the women's competition after Danni Wyatt-Hodge's blistering 26-ball half-century paved the way for a nine-wicket win over Durham at the Oval. The England opener struck two sixes and 11 fours in an unbeaten knock of 74 during a first-wicket stand of 94 with captain Bryony Smith (44) as the hosts chased down a target of 142 with 43 balls to spare. In Sunday's other match, Tara Norris made an unbeaten 33 and took three for 25 to help Lancashire defeat Birmingham Bears by five runs.
